The present invention relates in general to the field of computers and similar technologies, and in particular to software utilized in this field.
An important part of monitoring business strategy is the setting and monitoring of business targets. Typically, business targets are set in a relational database such as a spreadsheet, which allows target data to be input into cells in the spreadsheet. Because of the labor intensive nature of manually entering target values into the cells, the process of defining targets is arduous and time consuming, making it difficult to manage, and therefore difficult to properly execute, an enterprise's business strategy.
Similarly, tracking business targets over time is an important aspect of managing a businesses strategy. Such tracking is typically performed with the aid of graphs, which are created/populated from data in a spreadsheet. While such tracking allows a snapshot of a track for a target, there is currently no easy way to modify the graph without going back to the underlying spreadsheet and entering new data. Furthermore, overlaying a graph of actual values (values representing historical figures of what the enterprise has accomplished to date) with a graph of the business targets may not help a manager see where the actual values will end up at the end of the performance period if new or unexpected criteria should arise. For example, consider FIG. 1, which shows a graph 100 with a line 102 that shows actual historical data for a business parameter (e.g., sales, inventory, contact calls, etc.). Graph 100 includes a “green” zone 104, a “yellow” zone 106, and a “red” zone 108. Data points in zone 104 are at or above expectations, data points within zone 106 are slightly below expectations, and data points within zone 108 are significantly below expectations.
Using only graph 100, it appears that the enterprise will fall below it's business target in the last quarter of the year, since it is a logical assumption that line 102 will continue to move downwards. However, a new contract, an expected seasonal upturn, or any other new, previously overlooked, or unexpected condition may result in line 102 turning upwards. These criteria are not represented in graph 100, and thus there is no way to adjust the graph without manually manipulating the underlying database.